A shift has been happening within Christianity.
The way people are talking about, practicing and thinking about the religion of Jesus is changing.
You can see the evidence in the numbers. A ge...Read This

The first is taking off my shoes at airport security. I don’t care if you wear flip-flops and fly without a single thread of luggage, I am beating you at this game.

The other thing I’m better at than you? Quitting jobs.

I held eight jobs in eight years from 1998 when I graduated from college until 2006. These weren’t petty, part-time jobs, like the time I was a mailman or that afternoon I spent as a carny.

The jobs I quit were 40-hour a week, 401K offering, health care transferring, me-in-a-plain-colored-cubicle jobs. These were career jobs for most of my coworkers, and in a period of eight years I managed to quit six of the eight. Another I was fired from and the other went out of business.

I used to think I was unique, that perhaps I had a problem with staying at one job for a long time. It turns out I am extremely common. A recent poll revealed that 84 percent of workers plan to look for a new job this year. Furthermore, the average tenure at a job is dramatically changing from generation to generation. A U.S. Department of Labor study revealed that the median tenure for the 55- to 64-year-old category is 10 years. For the 25- to 34-year-old category, the average tenure is only 3.1 years. You and I will quit lots and lots of jobs.

Why?

We used to stay at jobs for decades. We got a gold watch for staying at a job for 30 years and then we retired to some flat, sweaty part of Florida to eat dinner at 4:30 in the afternoon. But somewhere along the way that changed.

At some point we stopped being stayers and formed a long line of leavers. We started seeing motion as a sign of success and transition as a sign of progress.

The golden watch has become the other end of golden handcuffs. We now look at steady jobs as less of a goal and more of a necessary evil. They aren’t fun; they simply fund our lives.

People position adulthood like it’s the end of your life, not the beginning. You’ve had your fun. Now it’s time to grow up. You’ve lived it up. Now it’s time to start dying.

We buy into the lie that work is usually miserable.

We buy into the lie that it’s possible to separate who we are at work from who we are outside of work.

We buy into the lie that to escape the drudgery, to be the person we want to be all week long, to follow our dream, the first step is to quit our jobs.

It’s not.

Despite the fact that quitting your job is the new American dream, it’s usually the worst thing you can do right now. Here’s why.

The Donnie dilemma

Donnie was the worst boss I ever had. He was my boss for about a year and during that time I was miserable. I wanted to quit so badly. I longed to be free and away from him. I thought if I quit my job I wouldn’t have to deal with such a horrible boss.

The unfortunate truth is the land of no Donnies is just a fantasyland. The second you quit your bad boss, you get dozens of new bosses. And some are more demanding than the Donnie you just left.

Who are the new Dons in “You INC.”?

The electric bill.

The water bill.

Chase mortgage.

Pampers 120-packs.

Verizon Wireless.

Groceries.

Johnny’s Auto Repair.

Comcast cable.

All the responsibilities that were quietly and almost magically covered when you had a steady job suddenly become your new and more demanding Donnies. The wonderland of freedom feels more like wanderlust. Now you have a new set of worries. Now you’ve created dozens of tiny leaks in your lifeboat.

And inanimate objects like bills are not the only new bosses you’ll acquire. Want to throw an easy relationship into chaos? Quit your job.

The wife who never worried about money will have fiscal panic attacks. The husband who didn’t tally how you spent your time will become an ever-present punchclock. Even the most easygoing person on the planet starts sweating when you play around with things like the mortgage. All in the name of your dream. Your dream? How do dreams pay the bills? Should you just dial up your providers and see if dreams are an acceptable form of payment? Is there a secret, free food section you have access to when you’re married to a “dreamer”? As it turns out, no.

This is a lose-lose-lose situation.

I want you to drop the q-bomb on your Donnie, I do. Just not yet. And not under the belief that doing so will usher you into a gloriously bossless nirvana. There is a wiser way to chase your dream and it begins by keeping your current job.

Keep your “No’s” open—and stay dangerous

When 100 percent of your future, 100 percent of your money, 100 percent of your dream is dependent on one thing succeeding, you are strongly tempted to compromise. You are tempted to cut corners. You are tempted to agree to less than perfect terms and sign less than perfect contracts. The risk of passing up any opportunity is extremely high.

But if you have a job—even a less-than-ideal one—you get to say a pretty vital word.

“No.”

You effectively lose that option when you quit. You lose that freedom when you jump without a net. You lose the power of the walkout or the shredded contract. Because you need this embarrassing gig.

To chase your dream well, you must fight to hold on to this small but significant word. Saying no is one of your most important resources, especially in the beginning. And the simplest and safest way to keep your no’s is to keep your day job.

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It is very possible you’ve actually thought long and hard about quitting your job. You’re in the minority of folks who have saved up money for a famine year. The threat of a dozen new Donnies doesn’t worry you, at least not right away.

If you quit now, there is still another landmine looming you’ve probably not considered: remaining dangerous.

At the heart of a dream is change. Few like this. People get comfortable and often see dreamers as threats. We might be a culture that wants to quit our jobs, but deep down, change still scares a lot of us, especially when it threatens the norms we’ve come to embrace. But if you’re going to chase your dream, guess what? You will be dangerous. You’re going to threaten the status quo and that’s not for the faint-hearted.

There will be a long list of people who ask you to play it safe.

At every corner, with every new opportunity, will come a temptation to soften or dilute your dream. Other people will try to smooth out the edges for you. Outsiders will lob bricks. Decisions will force you to consider compromising your core idea and belief. Friends will tell you to change something, to remove part of whatever it is you're doing that’s threatening because it’s just not comfortable. "Be careful," they’ll say.

And if you don’t have your job, guess what? You will have to pacify them most of the time. You will have to choose the safer but less rewarding route. Want to stay dangerous with your dream? Want to make some real progress?

Don’t quit your job. Not yet.

Jon Acuff is the author of the book and blog Stuff Christians Like. This article is an adapted excerpt from his new book, Quitter, which comes out tomorrow. You can find out more about the book here and order it here. This article is reprinted by permission. All rights are reserved.

Top Comments

I have to disagree with this article- although I freakin love Jon Acuff.

I took a leap from a safe, lucrative career to follow a dream just over a year ago. It definitely has not gone as expected. It's been difficult, very, very difficult. My wife and I have often driven on fumes just to get by. I've had restless nights (many of those). My pride is long gone and I've considered giving up (many times as well).BUT...It has also been one of the most thrilling and fulfilling times of my (our) lives. I wouldn't have traded it for the world. I know I would have regretted not taking this leap for the rest of my life. And yes, despite the difficulties... it's also made me feel more alive than any other time of my life. I've found that even if you fail while trying, it's better than failing from not doing. Reminds me of the saying, "Everybody dies. But not everybody truly lives."
So I think what Jon means to say, is that you can follow your dreams. But there are very, very large costs involved. It's not nearly as romantic as we make it out to be, and it's not going to be all puppies and rainbows. And are you willing to pay those costs to follow it through?Rock on,MattMore of my story here: www.iwasneverthesame.com

42 Comments

Our situation is a bit different. My husband just found work after being laid off from a job he had worked at for 33 years. He was laid off for 2 1/2 years and the impact on our lives was crushing. I can see from this topics from several points of view. From the perspective of a wife and mother, I doubt God would tell someone to walk away or quit their job if they have a family to take care of. Not unless He has made other provisions. It's not a good witness, it can break a marriage up, it can break a man's spirit. I could go on and on about all the things it could do. I am more and more convinced that often times we take our own disgruntled states and use them as an excuse to quit on God or our families. We get caught up in wanting more and more of what the world offers to satisfy our souls instead of what God offers and when a job doesn't do it, we quit. When a marriage doesn't do it, we quit. When a church doesn't do it, we find a new one. When the car we drive doesn't do it, we want a newer, fancier one. And the struggle goes on, the battle continues and our soul hungers for something real. Our soul hungers for Jesus. While my husband did not make the choice to leave his job, we went through so much hurt and heart ache as a result that I would tell anyone the very same that Jon did. Don't quit your job until you KNOW that you have secured another means of supporting your family. And if for some reason you lose your job, surround yourself with spiritually healthy people you can trust to hold you up and stand in the gap for you when you grow weary and feel as if you can no longer stand on your own. You'll be glad you did.

I have quit 4 jobs in the last year and it feels like crap! My dream has always been to front a punk band andspend my nights going crazy in the faces of people who appreciate the music i'm making with friends I truly love hanging out with.. but you know what? That has always left me feeling inadequate as the progress of that dream relies so heavily on the cooperation of other people (anyone whos played in a band will understand this!) And so often ive thought about throwing away my dream in order to grow up and get a 'real job'... but thats just a recipe for disaster too is it not? who wants to be that 40 something dreaming of days gone by, wishing they could still be gracing the stage. It might be my maturity beginning to develop or a new comfort in knowing that god has a hand in my future but im starting to realise that you do have to keep a job AND follow your dreams :) Im no longer spending nights awake thinking about how i need to grow up and become boring.. but instead looking at ways to live a stable, dependable lifestyle that brings in steady money while also pursuing my other interests in a complimementary way.. for when you think about it, what i crave in communicating with fans in a pub can still be found in the buisness world in other creative ways. Thanks for the article.. great stuff :)

I have to disagree with this article- although I freakin love Jon Acuff.

I took a leap from a safe, lucrative career to follow a dream just over a year ago. It definitely has not gone as expected. It's been difficult, very, very difficult. My wife and I have often driven on fumes just to get by. I've had restless nights (many of those). My pride is long gone and I've considered giving up (many times as well).BUT...It has also been one of the most thrilling and fulfilling times of my (our) lives. I wouldn't have traded it for the world. I know I would have regretted not taking this leap for the rest of my life. And yes, despite the difficulties... it's also made me feel more alive than any other time of my life. I've found that even if you fail while trying, it's better than failing from not doing. Reminds me of the saying, "Everybody dies. But not everybody truly lives."
So I think what Jon means to say, is that you can follow your dreams. But there are very, very large costs involved. It's not nearly as romantic as we make it out to be, and it's not going to be all puppies and rainbows. And are you willing to pay those costs to follow it through?Rock on,MattMore of my story here: www.iwasneverthesame.com

In 2005 I was working in corporate America, making big money. But was completely unfulfilled. I woke up in the middle of the night one night deciding I needed to change. A week and a half later I was on a plane to Anchorage, AK (from Kansas)- where I lived for the next 2 years. I gave my job 2 days notice when I quit - and they were incredibly supportive of me! It was the best thing I ever did for myself and the best 2 years of my life! I believe I had to take the first step of faith in order for the path to unfold before me. I said "No" to what was practical and got told numerous times that I'm crazy and irresponsible. In the end, though, people saw how I became more "me" during that time. Sometimes you just have to follow your dreams, sometimes THAT is being obedient.